But what a lovely month or two we have had for the back end of the year, being dry and fairly mild. The cows were quite happy to eat their winter rations of silage and grains then wander out to the field to lay down and chew their cud for the rest of the day or night. Then come back in for milking even though they were never in any great rush to get back in for milking. Sometimes it could take the best part of an hour to get them in as the bike had conked out yet again and the sheepdog pup we have (for all she's very brave chasing hens, ducks and geese around the farmyard) a half ton cow just takes a bit of moving out of the field. They are housed for the winter now, once it started to rain and poaching the field started again they didn't want to go out even though the gates were open for them.
Most of the young stock are still outside eating the last of the grass - being smaller and at the present time they aren't doing any damage to the grassland but actually helping it by eating it down and not leaving too much proud leaf going into winter. Some of them will have to come in next week now that we have got their winter quarters ready for them.
I wasn't sure a fortnight ago when we took 22 animals to the local market, some of the calves were suckling cows and others which had been bucket-fed milk and been weaned onto the solid calf rations for a month or so, but they did very well and the cheque came in very handy.
I nearly took some small Friesian calves down with them but was advised not to with the export market still closed due to the foot and mouth which everyone else has forgotten about and the price of barley to feed them nearly double of last year, these calves are just not wanted anywhere, with eight to 10 week old calves making £8, £10, £12, £16, that's very demoralising.
The Suffolk ewes are now less than a month from lambing so we brought them a bit closer to home as they need a bit extra to eat to keep the developing lambs in the womb growing, so to get strong and robust youngsters at birth rather than small weakly lambs which struggle to survive.
Then the ewes were given a vaccine which also helps the developing lambs fight off some ailments after birth, we tried to hold them back a week this year as I would rather eat my Christmas dinner without running out to check whether a ewe needs a hand to get lambed or if she's lambed, does the lamb need warming up in the kitchen - although nothing is guaranteed.
We still have a few ducks and geese left for Christmas though we did have a lucky break in the middle of November when two foxes were rounding them up in the farmyard just as I was starting the evening milking - they usually wait until everything is quiet but not these two. They must have thought of very little of waiting for Christmas for a good size goose to drool over. They should have waited - you can't say better wait next time as there won't be a next time for them - the taxidermist may fetch them back to life like, but that's as close as they'll get.
I've found an overseas worker to help with the plucking. They tell me he's the fastest plucker in the west, but a very pleasant plucker - I wonder if the pleasant plucker plucks pheasants too.
Anyway enough from me, Christmas party time looms.
I wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.